Bond relatives unveil stamps

4:55pm Tuesday 8th January 2008

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James Bond came home to Oxfordshire as family of his creator, Ian Fleming, helped launch new postage stamps featuring 007.

Great nephews Robert and Diggory Laycock and great niece Rose Grimond, who have bought the village shop and post office in Nettlebed, near Wallingford, proudly showed off replicas of the new stamps.

The extra-long stamps show selections of front covers of the Bond books and were launched in London by Samantha Bond, who played Miss Moneypenny in several of the films.

Author Ian Fleming lived for much of his childhood at nearby Braziers Park and his father, Major Valentine Fleming, was Conservative MP for Henley.

Robert Laycock said: "These stamps are a tremendous way of celebrating Ian Fleming's life and achievements.

"We couldn't be more thrilled that the Bond books are being featured in his centenary year."

The First Class stamp shows the various covers of Dr No, the first James Bond book to be filmed.

The two 54 pence stamps show the covers of Goldfinger and Diamonds Are Forever while the 78 pence pairing features For Your Eyes Only and From Russia With Love.

More than 100 million Bond books have been sold and this year will see several exhibitions marking Ian Fleming's centenary.

Corinne Turner, of Ian Fleming Publications Ltd said: "It's a privilege for the novels to be celebrated by the special stamps programme and we couldn't ask for a better start to the centenary year."